PARLIAMENT ON Thursday constituted a
30-member joint committee to probe the stock market scam and submit a report by
the end of the monsoon session that gets underway in July. Resolutions adopted
by the two Houses empowered the panel to go into the irregularities and
manipulations, fix responsibility and recommend safeguards.

THE
ALL-Party Hurriyat Conference on Thursday rejected the Centre's offer of peace
talks but said that parleys could take place if Pakistan was involved. The
secessionist outfit also demanded that its leaders be allowed to visit Pakistan
to meet militant groups based there.